The Expert

Elizabeth Pivonka is President of Produce for Better Health Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation devoted to increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables.

A passionate advocate of the health-promoting benefits of fruits and vegetables for America’s better health, Dr. Pivonka has been integrally involved with the Foundation’s efforts since it was incorporated in 1991 as a founding partner of the National 5 A Day for Better Health Program.

A nationally recognized expert on nutrition and the role fruits and vegetables can play to promote better health, Dr. Pivonka regularly interfaces with policy makers, legislators, regulators, academia and industry on nutrition policy and programs, and is widely quoted in consumer media. Her work has been published in leading professional nutrition science journals, and she co-authored 5 A Day: The Better Health Cookbook, published in 2001 by Prevention magazine publisher Rodale Press.

Dr. Pivonka has been recognized as the 2001 Marketer of the Year by the produce industry’s leading publication, Vance Publishing’s The Packer. Kansas State University selected her as their 2005 Alumni Fellow for the College of Human Ecology. Under Pivonka’s leadership, the Foundation has also received one of Secretary Tommy Thompson’s Health & Human Services 2004 Innovation in Prevention Awards and the 2003 Produce Industry Advocate of the Year Award from the United Fresh Produce Association.

Dr. Pivonka is a Registered Dietitian, and holds a doctorate in food and nutrition science from Kansas State University. She is married and has two children.